Double-end punching and exercise bag assemblies have been designed and implemented in gymnasiums and other athletic venues for many decades and generally include an air inflated bag assembly having a variety of spheroidal configurations suspended by two generally vertical cables, one attached to the top of the bag assembly and one attached to the bottom of the bag assembly, attached at their distal ends to generally stationary supports. Because these double-end punching bags, particularly in commercial environments, must be adapted to various anatomical configurations of the athletes, such as total height, arm reach, and other anatomical factors, it is necessary and desirable to provide a vertical adjustment to the punching bag assembly. This function has in the past been provided in a variety of ways including different length cables; i.e., the upper and lower cables supporting the bag assembly from fixed ceiling and floor mounted supports, adjustable shackles connecting the upper and lower cables to the bag itself and adjustable shackles supporting the distal ends of the two cables to the upper and lower fixed supports.
The principal problem with all of these prior adjustable assemblies is that they: (a) cannot be readily changed by the using athletes and require the assistance of a knowledgeable technician; and (b) the adjustability mechanisms in these prior designs are quite time-consuming to effect.
The applicant in this case has conducted a patentability search and has uncovered the following relevant patents relating to the adjustability of double end punching and exercise bags.
InventorPatent No.Issue DateAragona4,465,273Aug. 14, 1984Dye4,491,315Jan. 1, 1985Shustack4,635,929Jan. 13, 1987Donohue4,953,852Sep. 4, 1990Shic5,261,821Nov. 16, 1993Stephens5,503,606Apr. 2, 1996Zlojutro5,554,088Sep. 10, 1996Newman, et al.5,725,458Mar. 10, 1998Zagata, et al.5,769,761Jun. 23, 1998Hackaday6,743,157Jun. 1, 2004Iglehart7,044,895May 16, 2006Fields, et al.7,086,997Aug. 8, 2006
All of these patents show complicated and time-consuming mechanisms for adjusting the position of double-end punching bags with respect to the adjacent cable supporting mechanisms.
It is a primary object of the present invention to ameliorate the problems set forth above in double end punching and exercising bag assemblies.